...Blizzard Conditions and Heavy Snowfall Created Impassable Roads and Dangerous Conditions Over Much of the Area...

A strong upper level disturbance moved out of the southern plains on Tuesday. This disturbance helped generate an area of low pressure at the surface in central Texas. The surface low pressure moved northeast across central Kentucky while the upper level disturbance moved across central Indiana. Deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico was drawn northward ahead of this system which resulted in widespread heavy snow across most of northern Indiana, southwest lower Michigan and Northwest Ohio. At the same time...a very cold arctic high pressure area was settling south across the lower Great Lakes. The pressure gradient between the high and low pressure areas created 20 to 30 mph sustained winds with wind gusts around 45 mph at times. The wind and snow combined to create snow drifts of 4 to 7 feet across the area. Many counties were forced to stop plowing because they could not keep up with the drifting and some trucks were getting stuck themselves. Numerous county roads were closed or nearly impassable Tuesday afternoon and night.

The heaviest snow from this system fell across north central Indiana. Snowfall amounts ranged from 12 to 18 inches in the heaviest band which occurred from Near Lafayette, Indiana...east to Marion and Portland, Indiana. A secondary heavy snow band also occurred from near Laporte Indiana to Goshen Indiana. 10 to 14 inches were reported in this narrow area.

Below is a summary of snowfall amounts from some reporting stations around the area. Note that not all of these amounts are final storm total amounts.

A POWERFUL WINTER STORM BLANKETED MUCH OF NORTHERN INDIANA...FARSOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO WITH HEAVY SNOW...AS WELLAS CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THAT CAUSED NUMEROUSPROBLEMS FOR DRIVERS AND BUSINESSES. HERE ARE SOME OF THE STORMAMOUNTS FOR THE EVENT.

LOCATION STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL INCHESNORTHERN INDIANA

CITY COUNTYAKRON FULTON 16.0 AS OF 7 AMMARION GRANT 16.0 AS OF 630 AMHARTFORD CITY BLACKFORD 16.0 AS OF 900 AM ON THE 14THMILLERSBURG ELKHART 13.0 AS OF 1230 AMBROOKSTON WHITE 13.0 AS OF 9 PM ON THE 13THMONTICELLO WHITE 12.5 AS OF 1045 ON THE 13TH LAPORTE LA PORTE 12.2 AS OF 430 AMBLUFFTON WELLS 12.0 AS OF 10 PM ON THE 13THROCHESTER FULTON 12.0 AS OF 7 AM2 SW NORTH WEBSTER KOSCIUSKO 10.5 AS OF 7 AM5 W CHALMERS WHITE 10.0 AS OF 7 AMDECATUR ADAMS 10.0 AS OF 10 PM ON THE 13TH2 N NORTH WEBSTER KOSCIUSKO 10.2 AS OF 1 AMPLYMOUTH MARSHALL 9.0 AS OF 7 AMMICHIGAN CITY LA PORTE 8.3 AS OF 3 AMANGOLA STEUBEN 8.2 AS OF 7 AM1 E WINONA LAKE KOSCIUSKO 8.0 AS OF 1230 AM1 N FORT WAYNE ALLEN 8.0 AS OF 1130 PM ON THE 13TH2 W ELKHART ELKHART 7.0 AS OF 7 AMLEESBURG KOSCIUSKO 7.5 AS OF 7 AMKENDALLVILLE NOBLE 7.5 AS OF 7 AM3 SW ASHLEY DE KALB 7.5 AS OF 1230 AMFORT WAYNE AIRPORT ALLEN 7.4 AS OF 7 AM4 E LEESBURG KOSCIUSKO 7.0 AT 11 PM ON THE 13THSOUTH BEND AIRPORT ST JOSEPH 6.1 AS OF 1 AM